5 ways to fix Belgium, from a Green boy wonder

A 28-year-old Green politician with a new book called “F*ck the sideline” challenges Belgium’s center-right government — and the Flemish nationalists who are part of it — with disarmingly simple solutions to the country’s byzantine problems.

Kristof Calvo, the Flemish Greens’ boy wonder and leader in the federal parliament, is one of the most vocal critics of Liberal Prime Minister Charles Michel’s government.

The book, which he is promoting in conference halls, community centers and television shows across Belgium, is a leftist manifesto for a country that has taken a turn to the right. It has been flatteringly compared to the “Citizen Manifestos” that enabled Liberal leader Guy Verhofstadt to revitalize the Belgian political debate in the 1990s and helped propel him to prime minister from 1999-2008.

In the chapter “Long Live Belgium,” Calvo takes on the political hot potato that has been a vote-loser for the left in recent years: Belgium’s struggle with its Flemish-nationalist movement.

Here are five of Calvo’s most eye-catching ideas for overcoming divisions between Dutch and French speakers to make his country whole again.

1. Nationalists: Put up or shut up

Scotland and Catalonia have sought referendums to test their aspirations for independence, but not Belgium’s Flemish-nationalists. Calvo challenges them to have the courage of their convictions.

“If [the New Flemish Alliance, part of Michel’s coalition] wants to campaign on this issue, they have to have the conviction to do what Scots and Catalans did. They have to have the courage,” he said in an interview. “The debate on Belgium is in need of some clarity. The silent majority that isn’t nationalist deserves to be heard.”

Calvo challenges Flemish nationalists to a referendum on the country’s unity.

A referendum on independence for Flanders looks doomed to be a non-starter. Political scientists estimate that only one in 10 Flemish people would support a split from Wallonia and polls suggest people increasingly identify themselves as Belgians more than Flemish.

One member of the New Flemish Alliance recalled Belgium’s only previous referendum, in 1950, which led to rioting and deaths. It is “not exactly worth repeating,” said Hendrik Vuye, the party’s parliament leader.

2. Language: Let’s try English

Belgium claims three official languages: Dutch, French and German. Calvo argues, counterintuitively, that it could use one more.

“We have to move away from the rigid approach to a functional approach on public administration,” Calvo said. “Where possible, the government could serve its citizens in Dutch, French and English — we can launch experiments on this.”

Language is a particularly sensitive issue in Belgium. The Flemish and French-speaking regional governments insist on exclusive use of their first languages and in some areas, public officials are forbidden by law from using the other language.

3. Internal borders: Students must mingle

Europe’s flagship exchange program Erasmus connects students across national borders. Belgium would benefit from the same approach to overcome its internal cultural and linguistic divide, Calvo argues. Further still: It should be mandatory.

“The idea of an ‘Erasmus.be’ consists of sending high school students to the other part of the country for some weeks, as an obligatory exchange program,” he said.

In fact, the country already has such a program for university students, though it is optional. Students from Liège can spend part of their “European” exchange program in Antwerp. Students from Louvain can choose Louvain-la-Neuve.

4. Lost in translation: Let’s try subtitles

Resistance to learning the other national language is a thorny issue in Belgium. Flemish politicians constantly complain that French-speaking schools don’t offer Dutch as a mandatory subject, whereas Flemish children all study French.

Calvo has a simple solution involving Belgium’s public broadcasting, which is also divided along linguistic lines. French-language RTBF and Dutch-language VRT are housed in the same building but, beyond informal exchanges and the odd collaboration on a program or news story, they mostly live separate lives.

Employees refer to the corridor that divides the two services as the “language border.”

“Subtitles would make it more accessible to watch each other’s media coverage” — Kristof Calvo

Calvo’s proposal: “Subtitles would make it more accessible to watch each other’s media coverage. It’s also a practical way of stimulating multilingualism.”

5. Here’s a thought: national elections

This idea may not sound radical in other places in the world, but most Belgians (outside Brussels) can vote only for politicians from their own region — Dutch-speaking Flanders or French-speaking Wallonia — to represent them in parliament. This means there is no such thing as a national politician and there is very little crossover in the public debate.

“In fact, it’s the one idea that would trigger an automatic change of many of the other issues I discussed in the book,” the young Green said. “For one, you’d have more Flemish politicians on French-speaking talk shows, and more French-speaking politicians on Flemish TV.”

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GS

1) It is interesting to note that he does want to propose a plebiscite concerning full independence of the regions, but not concerning his own ideas. It is also interesting that he waited until after the plebiscite in Scotland and semi-plebiscite in Catalonia. Btw, did Belgium have a plebiscite in 1830 to separate from the Netherlands?
2) It is a good idea indeed to introduce English as a neutral language, with both Germanic and Roman language influences. But I don’t understand why he indicates Dutch, French and English, but not German as third national language and economically the most important language in Europe.
3) It would be incredibly nationalistic to limit Erasmus to Belgium, instead of the complete EU. But it is no secret that the real nationalists are not the Flemish, who are very international – oriented, but the so-called Belgicists, of which this politician is the prime example.
4) It is a myth that people would start watching television from the other region if it would be subtitled. Not only the language is different, but the mentality is completely different as well, with the French speaking region much more to the left. So it is no surprise a politician from the left wants to introduce this.
5) Belgian politics has always been a very delicate balancing act. So you can’t just change one thing without changing the complete balancing act.

Posted on 11/6/15 | 8:51 AM CEST

David

If only …
As a ‘neutral’ observer in Belgium, living on the linguistic border for over 20 years, Calvo’s proposals seem not only like common sense but like essential steps if Belgium is to move past its linguistic issues and release its potential to be a highly successful country

Posted on 11/6/15 | 10:21 AM CEST

treeman

Sorry but this guy sounds like an imbecile. How in hell is he even a politician ?

Posted on 11/6/15 | 11:09 AM CEST

paleocon666

Calvo gets his analisys wrong. What people in Flanders don’t want is French-style socialism as it is practiced in Wallonia. The split is not between Flemish-Walloon, it is between conservatism – socialism.

ExLiberal

European Parliament- The Library IP User

As an English speaking Belgian in Brussels, he got my vote… oh wait, I always vote on the French speaking list as this is Brussels and it is the only list that as a chance of affecting the result, and he is Flemish. Sadly, that means he has no chance of winning here. But maybe the Flemish will vote for him…

Posted on 11/6/15 | 2:57 PM CEST

ExLiberal

Politico promotes the ideas of someone they label a “boy wonder.”
A dose of reality–the so-called “boy wonder’s” party won a pathetic 4.4% of the vote in the last election for the chamber (and an even more pathetic 3.9% for the senate).
Some “wonder!”

Posted on 11/6/15 | 5:39 PM CEST

rp

I would like a referendum that finaly decides what is to become of Belgium with 2 simple choises: divided in 2, no more Belgium or not devided and no more flemish, german and french gouvernements anymore+1 national tv bilingual with subtitles. I would drop german language and let this little part of Belgium decide if they want to go back to Germany.

Posted on 11/7/15 | 10:10 AM CEST

GS

@rp: That may be what you want, but there are many more options, including the current solution after lots of difficult political balancing acts. There is also the possibility to return to the United Netherlands, undoing the separation of 1830 for which there was no plebiscite either. You’re also pretty selfish leaving the people of the German speaking part out, almost forcing them to go back to Germany or abandoning their language, which is economically the most important language of the EU, simply because it is not convenient in your solution. But thanks for showing the arrogance of Belgicists again for an international forum.

Posted on 11/7/15 | 8:21 PM CEST

Rogue Trader

Not sure how can one fix something that does not exist in the first place?

Posted on 11/8/15 | 2:56 PM CEST

KW

For bilingual countries like Belgium and Canada, both languages should be mandatory for all students. Look at Luxembourg, German is used for primary school, French is used for secondary school. I don’t like Mr Calvo’s idea about using English.

Posted on 11/8/15 | 6:24 PM CEST

GS

@KW: For your information, Belgium is not bilingual but trilingual. So your solution should then foresee that all three languages are used. How would you solve that? Secondly, if for instance Dutch speaking children would get Dutch in primary school, they would not understand anything at all during secondary school, or the other way around. And finally, English would make most sense, for multiple reasons. Only one additional language would be sufficient for everyone (only students interested in languages would have to learn more), it is the world’s current universal language (especially useful when hosting the main EU instances), and it is a neutral language with even both Germanic and Roman influences, as if it were specifically created for this purpose.

Posted on 11/9/15 | 8:24 PM CEST

GS

Institutions instead of instances.

Posted on 11/9/15 | 8:27 PM CEST

KW

@GS Luxembourg has 3 languages too and they made it work. Switzerland has 4 languages and they don’t need English.

Posted on 11/10/15 | 4:48 AM CEST

GS

@KW: you mentioned only 2 languages for Belgium instead of 3, and you do not answer the question how to make it work having primary and secondary education in 3 instead of only 2 languages. You also do not answer any of the other arguments.